Rena Krasno was born in Shanghai, China, in 1923. She attended the French Municipal College where she earned her Brevet Superieur and Baccalaureate (Philosophy Section). She later entered the Faculty of Medicine at the Jesuit Aurora University (now called Shanghai School of Medicine #2), where she studied for two years during World War II. She left Shanghai in April 1949.

In her professional life, Krasno worked as simultaneous freelance interpreter for international organizations (Unesco, ILO, FAO, the Olympic Committee at the Winter Games in Sapporo, etc.) in Europe and Asia. In Japan she was a frequent interpreter for the National Institute of Educational Research (Tokyo) and worked for Simul International and I.S.S. Her working languages are: English and French (active), Russian and German (passive). She also speaks Hebrew and Spanish. Krasno also served as Honorary Chancellor of Austria in Seoul, Korea.

She now lives in Mountain View, California, with her husband in the proximity of her two daughters and their families. Since her arrival in the U.S., Krasno has concentrated on writing (7 published books and numerous articles) as well as lecturing and translation.